Twins of Promise: Jacob & Esau

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Can you count the stars Abram. 00:00:06 Speaker 1: Abram shook his head uncertain. 00:00:09 Speaker 2: You cannot, for there are too many. It is impossible. It is to be the same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make through your air would be as innumerable as the stars in the night sky. 00:00:27 Speaker 3: I would have you seek out a wife for Isaac from the land of my family in Haram. 00:00:32 Speaker 2: He is ready, Master. 00:00:34 Speaker 3: He will make a fine husband, just as he will bear his inheritance well. 00:00:39 Speaker 1: For two weeks, Eliezer had pondered how to fulfill his task. Now standing at Heron's well, he devised a test. He closed his eyes and prayed silently to the God of Abram. 00:00:52 Speaker 3: God, must High God of my master Abram, make this happen for me today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 00:01:02 Speaker 1: As he opened his eyes, a young woman approached her water junk, balanced gracefully on her shoulder. 00:01:08 Speaker 4: Please, my Lord, allow me to serve you. 00:01:11 Speaker 1: Rebecca ran home and promised to send someone back to meet them and escort them to her house. 00:01:17 Speaker 3: Let her be the woman that God Almighty has appointed for my master's son. 00:01:24 Speaker 1: Rebecca's heart soared in anticipation, Eliezer. 00:01:29 Speaker 4: Who is that in the field coming out to meet us? 00:01:32 Speaker 1: That, my lady is Master Isaac. Rebecca blushed and grinned like a fool. 00:01:39 Speaker 4: My lord, I have traveled a long way to meet you. I am honored to become your wife. 00:01:47 Speaker 2: Oh no, no, Rebecca, it is I who am honored. 00:01:58 Speaker 5: Ah ah, this thrashing about. 00:02:04 Speaker 4: I can't take much more of this. These babies will tear themselves from my womb before I can get them out. 00:02:10 Speaker 6: Oh I know, my lady, you will soon be in your labors in earnest, and we will bring them outside of you. Then you can rest. 00:02:20 Speaker 4: But then what violence will I have unleashed unto the world? 00:02:24 Speaker 6: Now, my lady, do not be so dramatic. They are only babes. They are just eager to be in the world with us. 00:02:33 Speaker 1: Rebecca groaned and then doubled over, gripping one of the poles of the tent as another contraction raged through her body. Real or false, she was not sure. The savage fighting of the two children in her womb had led her to cry out for the midwives twice before, only for her to be told it was not time for them yet. Just breathe and walk about they had told her. She wanted to throttle them. No one understood the severity of the war being fought within her. What frustrated her further was that they would not confirm that it was twins. They said they could not say for certain, so they did not want to say at all. But what else could all this commotion be? Surely one babe was not at war with itself. It had to be two of them, Rebecca felt sure, and the oracle she had sought had proved it as well. She had not shared what she had learned with anyone. She was still not sure what to make of it herself. What she had thought might be a contraction began to subside, but that only seemed to spur the warring babes within to wage a fresh assault. They kicked and struck from within her, causing her to WinCE in pain. As she straightened, she clutched her side, and Deborah, her maid, gave her a helpless look that came to assist her in getting back to her bedroom. 00:03:54 Speaker 4: How long ago was the last one? 00:03:57 Speaker 6: If another one comes soon, my lady for the midwife, I fear she won't have anything new to tell you. If we call her too soon. 00:04:06 Speaker 1: Rebecca exhaled sharply again as a limb jabbed her in the side. Her retaliation came from the opposite corner. Half a heartbeat later, Isaac timidly poked his head into her tent. 00:04:18 Speaker 3: Are you well, my love? 00:04:19 Speaker 2: Is it time yet? Should I send for the midwife? 00:04:23 Speaker 6: Master Isaac, I tell you the same as I told your wife. It is not time yet. Now you should not be in here. This is a woman's domain. 00:04:33 Speaker 4: Thank you, my husband, for inquiring. But no, I am not well. I will not be well until I have delivered the boys. 00:04:42 Speaker 2: I hate this feeling. 00:04:44 Speaker 1: I wish there was something to be done. 00:04:46 Speaker 4: I want to help Rebecca, I really do. You're sweet, dear, but your words offer a little comfort. 00:04:55 Speaker 1: Rebecca smiled weakly at Isaac. There was nothing to be done. Kinds would indeed come when they were ready. But this was Isaac's way. He loved her. That was undeniable, as undeniable as his faith in the God of his father. His father told him to believe, and so he did. Yes, he was a man of great faith, but also profound simplicity. Rebecca was so touched and grateful that he had gone to their God on her behalf and simply asked to conceive. She gathered that Abraham had never done that. When he and his wife could not conceive, they waited and waited, which had merits in and of itself, but Isaac had simply gone and asked. In that regard, Rebecca and her husband were much alike. Rebecca rarely denied herself anything, but outside of that, they could not be any more different. Just then, a powerful contraction racked her body. Eyes wide, she stared daggers at Deborah for minimizing her pain. Only moments ago. Rebecca knew that it was a real contraction, but she only glared because she found that speech was no longer accessible to her through the agonizing pain. 00:06:08 Speaker 2: What's wrong? 00:06:09 Speaker 6: What do I need to do? That's another contraction? The labor has begun in earnest. Now, Master Isaac, go fetch the midwife. I'll stay with my lady. 00:06:18 Speaker 1: Rebecca found her lungs at the lasted and scooned out. As the contraction continued, Deborah had her lean back on the bed roll and grasped her hand tightly. The woman was, in truth, more of a mother to Rebecca than her own had ever been. Rebecca had often been praised for being bold enough to leave the house of her father and follow Abraham's servant through the desert to marry Isaac and join his family. Still, Rebecca knew that perhaps she had been so bold because she knew she would have a faithful companion in Deborah by her side, as she had been her own caregiver. She knew the woman would become like a grandmother to her own children. The woman vexed her sometimes, but she could not deny the love she felt, for she knew her twins would come to feel the same. Someday. 00:07:05 Speaker 6: My lady, can you speak now? 00:07:07 Speaker 1: Rebecca gave her a stiff nod. Deborah, in turn, gave her a questioning look, yes. 00:07:15 Speaker 6: Talk to me, my lady, until the next contraction or the midwife comes. It will take your mind away from here. 00:07:23 Speaker 4: What should I speak of? 00:07:26 Speaker 6: Tell me how you learned you were pregnant, my lady. Also tell me how long you waited to become so Remind yourself of the answered prayer. 00:07:38 Speaker 4: I was thought to be barren for so long, for over two decades, I wondered if I would ever know what it would be like to bear children. I wondered if Isaac had been right to choose me, if his God had been right to choose. 00:07:55 Speaker 6: Me, I remember it well, my lady. But you didn't give up. 00:08:01 Speaker 4: No. I finally asked Isaac to advocate for me and to go to his God, as we would have done with the old gods from back home. 00:08:09 Speaker 5: But this one answered, didn't he, my lady, He did, and he became my god that day, the day I learned I was with child, I was so happy that my decades of silence were finally over. 00:08:26 Speaker 4: Oh but even now I am reminded with every kick that my years of solitude and peace are behind me. 00:08:37 Speaker 6: Oh, my lady, you are right about that. And no more silence, no more sleep, the peace of mind you head will be replaced with the constant and incessant wailings of babes. But take heart, it's worth all the struggle, I promise. 00:08:56 Speaker 1: Isaac found the midwife and hurried her along to the entrance of his wife tent, the tent that had also been his mother's, the tent of the mistress of his household. As soon as the midwife opened the flap of the tent, Rebecca's screams hit him like a slap in the face. He could not enter, and he could not just stand there and do nothing at all. He had to go find something to do. He took off with renewed purpose. Eventually he spied an axe leaning against a pile of wood gathered from the sparse wilderness. He picked up the axe in one of his large rough hands and lifted the first gnarled branch from the pile with the other. He dragged it over to the clearing and said, to his task of breaking it down, ast Isaac, I understand, lady Rebecca has begun her labor. Isaac was startled and looked up to see Elieza and his father standing before him. 00:09:48 Speaker 3: My son, this will be a day you remember forever. It was the same for me the day why Sarah boy you for me? 00:10:02 Speaker 2: Thank you father, Thank you Eliezer. 00:10:05 Speaker 3: You are quiet, master Isaac, I confess I am surprised to see you so reserved on to day of all days. 00:10:13 Speaker 2: Would you like to join us as we walk? 00:10:17 Speaker 3: Come, Eliezer, we should leave Isaac to his task. My son, I will leave you to save the day ahead. When Rebecca bears your heir, we will celebrate. Even now, Eliezer and I are seeing to the preparations. 00:10:39 Speaker 1: Thank you, father, Isaac nodded respectfully to his father, as Abraham and his faithful servant took their leave mercifully. Rebecca's tent was too far away for him to hear her screaming, but he did hear the whimpering of another babe crying somewhere nearby. To think, in a few short hours, Isaac could be hearing the sound of his own child. His stomach nodded in anticipation, and he again took up the axe and resumed his task, losing himself in his thoughts as his father knew he would. The crying child could belong to anyone, but most likely it was one of his half siblings or nieces or nephews. The camp was practically crawling with Abraham's many children and now their children's children from his second wife, Father of multitudes. Indeed, for a long time, he could not understand why he and Rebecca could not conceive. He felt like he was simultaneously failing her and failing to live up to his father's legacy. Isaac tried not to think of it at all. He placed the failure far away from his mind and into an unreachable place that way, he could work hard, lead his family, and offer all a smile or joke, as he so often did. Rebecca was so different from himself. She was passionate and okah wants and desires in a way that Isaac never could. It was not that Isaac did not have a rich in a world. He loved to appreciate a good joke and be at ease with those he loved, but he also longed for the quiet walks on his property where he would commune with his God, hoping to be half the leader his father was. He followed his father's ways, the way of God most High, and that was that he didn't question, or bargain or wrestle the way Rebecca did. She had embraced his family and their culture with the strength that Isaac wasn't sure he would have been able to do if their roles had been reversed. But he also knew that her adoption of his God came slowly. He didn't see the understanding in her eyes until she finally received a miracle of her own. Isaac smiled at the memory of that, and then he recalled the day that had said it all in motion. She came to him in pain and anguish, and finally at her wits end and of two decades of being unable to conceive. In response, Isaac did the only thing he could think of. He asked God, it had been so simple. How had he not. 00:13:12 Speaker 2: Thought to ask before? 00:13:14 Speaker 1: It had taken Rebecca's boldness to push him to action, And he was so grateful that he did act, and he would be all over again if it all went well with Rebecca's labor. Isaac realized he had come to the end of the pile of wood, axe lifted high above his head, ready to strike at nothing. He laughed to himself as he lowered the axe and returned it to where he had found it. Isaac then wandered off to seek out another task to take his mind away from whatever was happening with Rebecca on her birthing bed in her tent. 00:13:50 Speaker 6: Breathe, my lady, breathe through it. It's not time to push. 00:13:54 Speaker 1: Yet, Rebeccah screamed in the midwife's face. 00:14:01 Speaker 4: Ah, how could it not be time to push yet? I feel like I'm either going to bring this baby into the world or believe myself right here on the floor. 00:14:13 Speaker 1: Deborah squeezed her hand in a comforting but also slightly chastising way. Rebecca ignored the urge to scream at her as well. Another contraction ripped through her body, though, rendering her speechless until it passed. 00:14:27 Speaker 6: Ah, why is this happening to me? Oh? There, there, It is not happening to you, my lady. It is just happening. The pain of birth has been the way of women since the ancient garden. 00:14:47 Speaker 1: Just keep breathing, The words slipped from her mouth before she realized the exact phrase had led her to seek a diviner to ask that question. When she started showing and she first began to feel what she initially thought was one babe within her, it quickly intensified to the point where she grew desperate enough to seek answers. Deborah had gone with her, of course, but no one seemed to understand the struggle happening inside her womb. She may have never carried a baby before, but every instinct told her this was abnormal. She didn't tell Isaac that she was seeking an oracle from a prophet. She knew he would disapprove of her returning to the ways of her people, but she was concerned that something was wrong. She was scared, and she wanted to learn more before risking disappointing him. She could not bear the idea of seeing that joy, that wide, creased smile of his that she loved, fall from his face. If she knew more, perhaps she could figure out what to do next. So Deborah had found the diviner and they went. The man had sought whatever deity he communed with, but she could sense that something was off. When he delivered the first message, it had a ring of falseness to it. But then the strangest thing happened. That same overwhelming sense of peace and presence that she had felt as a child when she drew the water for the camels, and again when she knew it was safe to go with Eliezza, came upon her. The diviner gave her a second oracle. This time she knew it was true. 00:16:19 Speaker 2: Two nations are in your own. Two people will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger. 00:16:34 Speaker 1: Another contraction writ through her lower abdomen, and the pressure of it all disrupted her memory and brought her back to her birthing bed. 00:16:42 Speaker 6: It's time, my lady, It's time to start pushing. You're almost there. They will be here soon. Come, let's breathe together a good now, push me. 00:17:03 Speaker 1: The first tiny peal of a cry came from the first born as Rebecca panted with exhaustion, but she knew she was not done yet. 00:17:11 Speaker 6: My lady, you need to push again. There is another babe in your ball. I know there is one more. Push. He's right there. And look, you're first born. You can hold them both soon. But you're not done yet. 00:17:27 Speaker 1: Breathe, push, Rebecca bellows. The second twin finally emerged from her wound, she collapsed back in exhaustion. Deborah brought the first infant to all and placed him on her chest. Delirious with exhaustion, Rebecca frowned at the tiny babe. He was a dull, blotchy red, and covered with hair like a fur coat, like an animal. Did all babes look this way when they first emerged? She had seen countless infants, but never once so recently birthed. 00:17:59 Speaker 2: But no. 00:18:00 Speaker 1: The midwife now approached with the second and he appeared as he. 00:18:04 Speaker 6: Should, another boy, My lady, congratulations. 00:18:09 Speaker 1: Rebecca stretched her arm out for the second child and drew him to her breast. Her heart felt as if it would burst. The euphoria of emotions swelled inside her body, the pain of just moments ago forgotten. 00:18:23 Speaker 2: Her world narrowed. 00:18:25 Speaker 1: To the babies in her arms. They were hers, She did it, and now they were here. She hadn't noticed tears streaming down her face, or even that Isaac now stood beside her, bathing her in the glow of his face splitting smile. She blinked and was brought back to reality. He gently placed his arms around all three of them and gazed down at them with admiration and awe in his eyes. Rebecca could have wondered at his joy all day that something was nagging in the back of her mind, some question she had the birth had been a blood. Then her mind sharpened, piercing the post birth haze, and she remembered. 00:19:11 Speaker 4: What was it you were saying before a second. 00:19:13 Speaker 6: Twin was born? 00:19:15 Speaker 5: Oh? 00:19:16 Speaker 6: It was his hand, my lady. He was grasping the heel of the first. 00:19:22 Speaker 4: What but how is that normal with twins? 00:19:28 Speaker 6: His little fist grasped the first seal with such force I thought he should pull him back inside you. 00:19:36 Speaker 2: Is that true? Whatever could that mean? 00:19:39 Speaker 3: Surely that is some sign of the future. 00:19:44 Speaker 1: Deborah caught Rebecca's eye in question. Rebecca shook her head. Not here, not now, But she could not help but think of the oracle. 00:19:53 Speaker 2: Lee older will serve the younger. 00:19:57 Speaker 1: This babe, beside his redd and Haad brother, would surely grow to do incredible things one day, Master. 00:20:06 Speaker 6: Mistress, what will you name them? 00:20:09 Speaker 2: Well, the first born has been born with such an unusual color. 00:20:13 Speaker 6: It will fad Master Isaac. 00:20:15 Speaker 1: Yes, but perhaps we should mark its significance in his name. 00:20:20 Speaker 2: Perhaps it's a sign as well. We should name him Esau. 00:20:27 Speaker 4: Why well, the name borrows for. 00:20:30 Speaker 2: The words red and Harry. 00:20:35 Speaker 4: That's very clever, Isaac. 00:20:38 Speaker 2: He will grow into it. 00:20:39 Speaker 1: But this will help us remember how my boy's great legacy began. 00:20:46 Speaker 2: Now, what of the second born, Rebecca, what do you think? 00:20:51 Speaker 1: Rebecca took a moment to think. She could not help but think of the ominous prophecy about the babe in her arms. He came out fighting, but surely his life would be a battle until he finally achieved whatever formidable legacy was his own. He would need protecting if he was to succeed. She intended to be there to help shape it and he would require the protection of their God too. 00:21:16 Speaker 4: Let's call him Jacob. 00:21:20 Speaker 3: Heel Grabber. Are you sure well? 00:21:23 Speaker 2: I suppose it's fitting. 00:21:25 Speaker 4: The name has many meanings. May God protect heal Grabber. 00:21:30 Speaker 1: In the back of her mind, Rebecca knew the other meaning of the name, trickster Usurber. Even now, seeds of a plan to reverse the roles of her two sons were in motion. Thus Jacob became Rachel's precious child before Esau even had a chance to latch onto her breast. He was the second son in her eyes. 00:21:52 Speaker 4: Ah, It's settled Esau and Jacob. 00:21:57 Speaker 1: The years passed, and as then aiming would inform, Esau became his father's joy and Jacob his mother's. The midwife was right. Esau's red coloring faded, but the hare remained. He was large and short of words, like his father, but he was more bare than man, as the hare would suggest. He would spend days in the wild and come back with an elusive game that proved his skill as a hunter. Even as a boy, his outdoorsmanship was far beyond the other boys his age. Esau would proudly trek his kills through camp and cook and serve them to his delighted father. With every meal, he cemented the love and favor of his father. Jacob, on the other hand, had a more robust in a world she could see it turning in his mind. Even from a young age, he kept to camp mostly and by design by his mother's side. Jacob had a cunning and quickness to him that his brother woefully lacked. He saw everything and understood things far beyond his years. He didn't always let on that he was observing and learning, but his mother recognized the same quiet cleverness that she possessed, and as her husband had chosen a favorite child, she chose Jacob. This Prey dot com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed the Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.